Device for handling and conveying textile or other articles and materials



F. J. CARTLEDGE.

DEVICE FOR HANDLINQ AND CONVEYING TEXTILE OR OTHER ARTICLES AND MATERIALS.

APPLICAT ON FILED JUNE 15. 1917.

I 1,367,017.- v Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

3 SHEETS SHhEI I.

I rancis 'arileqyc E. J. CARTLEDGE.

DEVICE FOR HANDLING AND CONVEYING TEXTILE OR OTHER ARTICLES AND MATERIALS.

3 SHEETSSHI:EI 2.

APPLlCATlON, FILE D JUNE 15, I917.

F. J. CARTLEDGE.

DEVICE FOR HANDLING AND CONVEYING TEXTILE OR OTHER ARTICLES AND MATERIALS.

APPLlCATlON FILED JUNE 15, 1917.

1,367,017. Patented Feb. 1,1921.

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70129 \fli /orroqya UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS J. CARTLEDGE, "F IPSWICH, I MASSACHUSETTS,"ASSIGNOR TO IPSWICH HILLS, IPSWICH, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

DEVICE EoRfimNnLINo AND CONVEYING TEXTILE on, OTHER MATERIALS.

I I Specification of Letters Patent.

ARTICLES AN D Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

Application filed June 15, 1917. Serial No.174,ss9.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, FRANCIS J. GART- LEDGE, a citizen of the United States, and ,resident of Ipswich, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices for Handling and Conveying Textile or other Articles and Materials, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for handling and conveying light, flexible or flocculent articles or materials pneumatically.

In many situations such as in spinning, weaving or knitting mills and other textile manufactories the raw materials or stage products or the finished product, or all of these, have to be movedfrom place to place as required, sometimes to considerable distances. It is desirable to convey these com- 2o modities as conveniently and rapidly as possible while protecting them from dirt or dust and in such a manner as not to subject the inflammable commodity to increased danger from fire. In the manufacture of tubular or closed tubular textile articles, such as bags, pillow cases, or stockings, it is likewise desirable to provide for turning the tubular article inside out.

Heretofore some but not all of the conditions mentioned have been satisfied by conveyer or article handling devices of wellknown kinds, but so faras I am aware no device suitable for the classes of articles or commodities above referred to has been available which did not have the defect of subjecting the material conveyed by it to contact with rapidly moving parts, as for instance, by permitting the material to pass through rotating screen.

One object of the presentinvention is to provide pneumatic conveyer devices for commodities of the class indicated which shall move the articleor material conveyed Without subjecting it to passage through afan or contact with any moving mechanism. Another object is to provide such conveyer devices with delivery apparatus characterized by progressive slowing of the conveying blast as proaches its destination. Another object is to provide for. turning inside out a tubular or in contact witha blast-fan or the article or material ap article and delivering the turned article with a minimum of manual handling. Other objects are to provide-a simple pneumatic system of conveyance characterized by effectlve provisions for: moving the article or material to be conveyed by the direct action of a1r moving in the system under impulsion of an ordinary blast fan, this system vide a pneumatic stocking turning and conveying device adapted to be used byunskilled persons rapidly and effectively to turn and deliver at a predetermined distant place, such as a dyehouse or looper room the partly finished stockings, the turning means being combined with the conveyer means.

I shall now describe my new devices by reference to particular species thereof illustrating the generic invention.

In the accompanying drawings, I Figure l is a perspective of a fan, blasts, trunk, and receiving and delivery connections illustrating one species of the genus of my invention;

Fig. a is a plan view of the devices shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the blast and suction orifices on, the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing a modification;

Fig; 5 is a section on the line '5-5 of Fi .4

v ig. 6 is 'a vertical section illustrating a receiving and a delivery station;

Fig. 6 similarly shows a modified form at the delivery station;

Fig. 6 shows a modification for furthe'r reducing the speed of the article ormaterial conveyed in the conveyer pipe section; V

" Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical section at a t1clc or material in the blast blown from a 70 l Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, and 6, a blast trunk 1 is fixed in a convenient place, preferably under the floor of the room in which are most of the receiving stations A,- and a continuous blast is blown through trunk l by a fan or other blower 2, which may be driven by an electric motor, and may be of any suitable type, A series of branch blast- .conveyer pipes 4 take out of the blast trunk 1, preferably at an-inclination toward the direction of blast as shown. One branch 4 is provided for each receiving station A, and at each station A a suction entrance pipe 5 for receiving the thing to be conveyed ter minates at a convenient place, for instance. being fixed in the floor to project to a height in easy reach of a seated operator. Whatever the particular arrangement of the pipes 5, said pipes are curved about a large radius, as at 6, to enter the branch blast-pipe 4 in the direction of blast, and are supported so that a straight portion 7 of the pipe 5 is substantially coaxial with the branch 4.

Any convenient supporting means, as a soldered joint between sheet metal pipes 4 and 5 at their point of contact may be employed.

The branch 4 continues beyond the end of the portion 7 of the pipe 5 a substantial distance without decrease of its internal capacity or sharp bends, preferably extending a substantial distance as shown in a straight line before reaching the first bend 8, which may be turned in any direction desired. either downwardas shown in Fig. 6, or upward through the floor as shown at 6 in Fig. 6 to deliver in the receiving room, or in the direction I appropriate to reachsome other desired destination. In whatever direction the bend 8 extends, the distance from the portion 7 of pipe 5 to a free end 9 beyondthe bend 8 is a short distance, so that there is little efiect in this part of the branch 4 to impede the free movement of the blast and material conveyed by the air-current.

An efi'ectiveand continuous suction is maintained in the entrance pipe 5 by the ejectoraction of the blast in pipe 4. Referring to Fi 3, this effect may if desired be increased 5y fixing in the branch 4 and head of the terminal 10 of the portion 7- of the pipe 5 any suitable contracting device,

such as the cone 12, whereby to deliver'the blast in pipe 4 as an annular stream having a- 'vena contractor beyond the freev end 10 of the pipe 5. I have determined by successful use that the inflow created in the pipe 5 by a device substantially of the proportions shown is strong and reliable to propel a 'lexible or light article placed near the entrance (1 of the pipe 5 with certainty and force.

For some classes of use, I prefer to :nodify the flow-path of the blast at the suction device as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, by providing a number of entrances 15 to the portion 7 of pipe 5 for the blast in pipe 4. each entrance 15 preferably having: a conical or part-spherical bafile 16 mounted on the pipe 5 to deflect toward the center of the portion 7 of said ipe 5 an independent stream from the blast in pipe 4. There may be two or more annular series of the entrances 15. and preferably these series are staggered as shown. I attribute to the entrances 15 and baflles 16 the effect of directing the things moving in the pipe 5 away from its inner surface, as well as the eiiect to maintain inflow of air at entrance (1.

Usually an article or material delivered from the end 9 of the branch 4 is destined to be carried elsewhere in the building, as to a dye-room or storage bin. My device therefore may comprise means for utilizing the blast delivered at 9 for further conveying the material or article to its destination, said means being so arranged as to reduce the velocity of the material as com ared with its speed while in the pipe 4. y so reducing the speed of the thing conveyed, delivery may be made without any special trapping or straining devices at the receiving end or ends of the system.

is shown in Fig. 6, the pipe 4 may end above a funnel 30 of a conveyer pipe 31 of larger size than the pipe 4, a suflicient space being provided between the end 9 and funnel 30 to permit scattering and reduction of pressure of the blast. The pipe 31 may either deliver directly into a storage bin 32 or truck 33 (being extended to any desired direction or distance) at receiving station B. there to deliver the commodity ejected at 9 by means of flow in the pipe 31 of the blast from pipe 4. The delivery end may if desired have a sleeve 34 counter-weighted at 35 for adjustment to any desired height above the floor of the bin 32 or truck 33.

it will be observed that the conveyer pipe system comprising the pipes 5, 4, and 31, is in sections 4 and 31 spaced apart as between 9 and 30, Fig. 6. and that by this device the blast in pipe section 4 is independent of back pressure caused by the conditions of flow in pipe section 31. Section 31 may be likewise divided into two or more sections, 31. 31". Fig. 6* if necessary or desirable further to render any preceding section of the system inde 'e'ndent from back-pressure created in any ollowing section.

In the use illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, in a knitting mill, let it be assumed that any desired plurality of stations A are in the room or department completing the stockv ings H, Fig. 7, so far as to loop the toewithin the pipe, drawing the remainder of are the same as above referred to.

.pipes 5 for the respective receiving stations 1 the stocking about bead 25 after it, the stocking, (now turned right side out) assing through pipes 5, 4, and 31 to its estination as soon as the operator releases it. The same operation is, applicable to bags or the like, 0r the legs or sleeves of other garments than stockings, ora length ofcontinuous tube may be drawn upon the pipe 5 and turned upon releasing its upper end into the orifice a. r r 1 In Fig. 8 an applicationof the invention ton, from any or all of the bins D, D, D, to either of the receiving stations G, or G is shown. The blast trunk 1, branches 4,

suction pipes 5 and suction devices atTi2 e are provided with hoppers40 into which the desired amounts of cotton from the respective bins D, D D? for a mixture can be shoveled.

The several pipes 4 deliver at funnels 41, 42, 43, of larger pipes 44, 45, 46, which. respectively are provided with valves 47 48, 49 controlling the entrance 4 either to branches 50 leading to bin G or branches 51 leading to bin G By shifting the valves material from either of the bins D, D D, may be delivered to either destination (ir' or G and material from two or more of the bins D, D D may be delivered in the same bin G or G he progressively slowing blasts of the various pipes are well adapted for delivering such material as cotton without distiurbance of the mass previously delivere I In each of the illustrated forms of the invention the risk of fire is materially reduced by the freedom from contact with moving parts of the commodity carried by the blast. The end of the blast trunk 1 beyond the last branch 4 is closed by a suitable cap 11, Fig. 2.

.I claim:

'1. Pneumatic material handling devices I having therein a conveyer pipe system for material to be conveyed by pneumatic blast, said system comprising sections spaced apart at one or more points, a following section being of larger diameter than the preceding. section, means for maintaining J I a pressure blast in one of the sections of smaller diameter, and means for delivering material into the blast to be conveyed thereby at decreasing speed in successive sections.

2. Pneumatic materialahandling devices having therein in combination an entrance pipe, a blast-conveyer pipe adapted to receive material conveyed through said entrance pipe by suction created by the blast in said blast-conveyer pipe, and aconveyer pipe spaced from said blast-conveyer pipe and adapted to receive the air-blast and the material discharged by said blast-conveyer pipe, whereby to convey said material at a decreasing velocity.

3. Pneumatic material handling devices having therein in combination an entrance pipe, a blast-conveyer pipe adapted to receive material conveyed through said entrance pipe by suction created by the blast in said blast-conveyer pipe, and a conveyer pipe larger than, in line with, and spaced from said blast-conveyer pipe and adapted thereby to receive the air-blast and the material discharged by said blast-conveyer pipe, whereby. to convey said material at a decreased velocity.

4. Pneumatic material handling devices adapted for turning and conveying tubular textile articles comprising a blast-conveyer pipe and means for-maintaining a pressure blast therein, an entrance-pipe adapted to receive the tubular article on the outside thereof, and. a suction device for'causing the blast in said blast-conveyer pipe to maintain a suction inflow in said entrance pipe.

5. adapted for turning and conveying tubular textlle articles comprising a bIast-conveyer pipe and means for maintaining a pressure blast therein, an entrance-pipe adapted to receive the tubular article on the outside thereof, communicating directly with said blast-conveyer pipe, the orifice of said entrance pipe being rounded whereby to enable a fabric to be turned thereat, and a suction device adapted to maintain suction in said entrance pipe.-

6. Pneumatic material handling devices adapted for turning and conveying tubular textile articles comprising a blast-conveyer pipe and 1 means for maintaining a blast therein,.a conveyer pipe adapted to recelve an article blown fromsaid blast-conveyer pipe for transmission to destination at a re duced velocity, an entrance pipe adapted to receive the tubular article on the outside thereof, and a suction device adapted to maintain suction in said entrance pipe.

7 Pneumatic material handling and conveying devices having therein a blast-conveyer pipe and means for maintaining a;

Pneumatic material handling devices entrance pipe.

8 Pneumatic material handling and conveying devices having therein a blast-conveyer pipe and means for maintaining a blast therein, an entrance pipe terminating in a portion included within said. blast-conveyer pipe, means including apertures distributed around said entrance pipe for determining flow into said portion from said blast-conveyer pipe of a part of the blast. and means for constricting the blast-conveyer pipe to a narrow annular passage :11 or near the end of said entrance pipe.

I). Pneumatic material handling and conveying means comprising in combination a blast blower, a series of conveyer pipes separated from each other and progressively larger whereby progressively to reduce the velocity of the blast and material carried thereby, and entrance means for the material comprising an entrance pipe and a suction device therefor adapted to maintain an inflow of air through said entrance pipe by the operation of the blast blown by said blower.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this twenty-fifth da of Ma 1917.

FRANC S J. C RTLEDGE. 

